News / Fetlar’s future looking brighter
THE TIDE has turned on the Shetland island of Fetlar it seems with the population rising by almost 50 per cent in the past year.
The number of people on the island fell to an all time low of 48 last year when the Fetlar Working Group set about reversing the trend.
Their aim was to see that figure rise to 70 within five years, but in 12 months they have already beaten that target.
Local development worker Robert Thomson could offer no simple explanation for the sudden increase, saying different people had arrived for different reasons.
However he was full of praise for the council’s economic development department and the way the Fetlar Working Group has been give direct access to decisions makers within the authority and beyond.
“We have had a lot more people coming in to the island a lot sooner than we anticipated,” Mr Thomson said.
“While this is wonderful it does create certain difficulties. They are good difficulties to have but there are still things like housing that have to be sorted out.”
Direct access to senior officials in the council and NHS Shetland have helped resolve issues quickly, he said. “It’s given an immediacy to getting things done and it’s been very successful. We have really felt that when we have raised something, attention has been paid to it.”
People have been drawn to Fetlar for a variety of reasons, some seeking to escape the rat race and enjoy the quiet life on a relatively remote island.
Other people have taken the “leap of faith” to return to the island after leaving, such as Brydon Thomason who has come back with his wife Vaila and their young child to run his successful wildlife tour operation.
The new nurse on the island has three children as well, though this will not provide an immediate boost to the one pupil school that may have to turn into a nursery for next year due to the lack of children of the right age.
“We have five pre school children at the moment and I know there are other families interested in coming up, but everything depends on when that happens,” Mr Thomson said.
“I think things are looking as positive as we could have hoped for and the future is looking a way of a lot brighter than it was. I think that we have a good fighting chance now.”
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